CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE LAST CIVIL WAR: AND THE FOUNDATION OF THE EMPIRE. FROM THE DEATH OF CÆSAR TO THE BATTLE OF ACTIUM. B.C. 44 TO B.C. 31.

"His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear'd arm
Crested the world: his voice was propertied
As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends;
But when he meant to quail and shake the orb,
He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty;
There was no winter in 't: an autumn 'twas,
That grew the more by reaping: his delights
Were dolphin-like; they show'd his back above

The element they liv'd in: in his livery

Walk'd crowns and crownets; realms and islands were
As plates dropp'd from his pocket.”—SHAKSPERE.

CORPSE

OF

SEQUEL OF CESAR'S DEATH-THE CONSPIRATORS AND THE PEOPLE-THE
CESAR-PROCEEDINGS OF ANTONY-DECISION OF THE SENATE-HOLLOW RECONCI-
LIATION CESAR'S ACTS ARE CONFIRMED AND THE PROVINCES ALLOTTED-CÆSAR'S
TESTAMENT-FUNERAL ORATION OF MARK ANTONY-FURY OF THE PEOPLE-GO-
VERNMENT OF ANTONY-HIS USE OF CÆSAR'S PAPERS-OCTAVIUS AT APOLLONIA-
HIS DECISION ON HEARING OF CESAR'S DEATH-M. VIPSANIUS AGRIPPA-OCTAVIUS
RETURNS TO ITALY-CLAIMS HIS INHERITANCE AS C. JULIUS CÆSAR OCTAVIANUS-
HIS INTERVIEW WITH CICERO-HE ARRIVES AT ROME-OMENS OF HIS GREATNESS-
HE COURTS THE SENATE AND PEOPLE-HIS INTERVIEW WITH ANTONY-OCTAVIAN
DISCHARGES CESAR'S BEQUESTS - HIS POPULARITY-APOTHEOSIS OF JULIUS-THE
PROVINCES CICERO'S 'PHILIPPICS'-ANTONY LEAVES ROME-WAR OF MUTINA-
DEFEAT OF ANTONY-OCTAVIAN BREAKS WITH THE SENATE, RETURNS TO ROME, AND
BECOMES CONSUL-HIS COALITION WITH ANTONY AND LEPIDUS-SECOND TRIUMVI-
RATE-PROSCRIPTION-MURDER OF CICERO-SUCCESSES OF SEXTUS POMPEIUS-THE
REPUBLICANS IN THE EAST-BATTLES OF PHILIPPI-DEATHS OF BRUTUS AND CASSIUS
-PARTITION OF THE PROVINCES -ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA-CONFUSION IN ITALY-
WAR OF PERUSIA -THE PARTHIANS IN SYRIA-ANTONY AND SEXTUS BEFORE BRUN-
DISIUM-RECONCILIATION OF THE TRIUMVIRS-PEACE WITH SEXTUS POMPEY AT MI-
SENUM-VENTIDIUS DEFEATS THE PARTHIANS-NEW WAR WITH SEXTUS, AND DEFEAT
OF OCTAVIAN-SECOND RECONCILIATION OF
OCTAVIAN AND ANTONY-TREATY OF
TARENTUM-AGRIPPA'S VICTORY OVER SEXTUS POMPEY-DEPOSITION OF LEPIDUS-
DEATH OF SEXTUS-EXTINCTION OF THE SENATORIAL PARTY-HONOURS HEAPED
UPON OCTAVIAN-AGRIPPA AND MECENAS-ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA IN THE EAST-
ANTONY'S DEFEAT IN PARTHIA-HIS ARMENIAN CAMPAIGN AND TRIUMPH AT ALEX-
ANDRIA-ROMAN PROVINCES GIVEN ΤΟ CLEOPATRA-THE EGYPTIAN COURT-OCTA-
VIAN'S SUCCESSFUL WARS IN THE ALPS-HIS GROWING POPULARITY-FINAL BREACH
WITH ANTONY-WAR DECLARED AGAINST EGYPT-BATTLE OF ACTIUM-FLIGHT OF
CLEOPATRA AND ANTONY-OCTAVIAN LANDS IN EGYPT-DEATHS OF ANTONY, CLEO-
PATRA, AND CESARION-EGYPT MADE A ROMAN PROVINCE RETURN AND TRIUMPH
OF OCTAVIAN-EPOCH OF THE EMPIRE.

COULD the murder of Cæsar have been justified on moral grounds, the want of any preparation for the next step would have branded it as a crime. The conspirators seemed to have hoped that the people would at once have ratified their deed; and they rushed from the Senate-house to the Forum, brandishing their bloody daggers, carrying a cap of liberty on the point of a spear,

dria by his address in the art of swimmat and a king. Brutus

Julius Cæsar in the British Muser
corresponds to this character, and
of his features than all the labor

orate speech; but, instead er of the Republic, his voice The people had wavered in

Of his moral qualities, were instinct told them that they his generosity and affabilita. The rest of the Senators had friends, and his clemency petration of the deed, and the con

ceeded from a mixture

of conscience from r
His Epicurean love
habit of gross se'
from his earliest
love, his habi'
that Cæsar a'
the control

Alexander

completely isolated. They hastened to

sighted magnanimity cetence of paying their vows to Jupiter, bands of Decimus Brutus. The movefor Lepidus who, as master of the horse, outside the city, sent troops to occupy the night. These hasty movements had left them body of Cæsar, as those of the Gracchi had ugh the streets, and throw it into the Tiber-an some at least of the conspirators proposed. The aster of the world, who had boasted in the mornIdes of March had come and found him safe, lay base of his rival's statue, till three of his servants broken litter to his house. Antony had escaped in fusion. His death had been proposed by some of the needful for their safety, but Brutus had protested! aring tyrannicide with wanton murder; and they now safety in the double policy of Antony. They were

Cæsar's

faults th

of reve

first p

once whic

at I

thi

ur

C

7

1

beir own

3

in the Capitol by the small remnant whom the civil war had

et of the old aristocratic party. Among the first to resort to

Cicero, who never ceased to praise the deed which had

vous policy of assuming the government of the state, and been done, as an act of justice on a public enemy. He urged the above all making

no terms with Antony.

The surviving consul, shut up for security in his own house, ontinued during the night to gain information of the proceedings of the conspirators, to communicate with Lepidus, and above all

with

to secure Caesar's private papers, which were sent to him by Cala treasure of 4000 talents. The possession of Caesar's

parnia,

will gave him an irresistible appeal to the people, and Lepidus

W Won over by the promise of the vacant pontificate. But on

the following morning (March 16th) another of Cæsar's partisans, Dolabella, came forward to support the conspirators from personal enmity to Antony. His appearance in the Forum with the insignia office encouraged the friends of the conspirators to invite them of a consul-for Cæsar had promised him the succession to the

263

INSPIRATORS AND THE PEOPLE

FONDATION OF THE E-AR TO THE

ND FUNERAL OF CÆSAR,

hore Brutus again harangued the claimed to have acted in the

led the people to rally once 4, which Sextus was still bearing e Dictator. But the appeal met aspirators returned to the Capitol. only hope was to make terms with athority as consul, opened the public ined the enormous sum of 700,000,000 ned the government of the city. The conim to summon the Senate to decide between the d he at once complied, feeling that the balance was into his own hands. His proposal that the acts of uld be ratified, his murder passed over in silence, and ains honoured with a public funeral, was warmly supported cero, and adopted by the Senate. The conspirators came. wn from the Capitol in the guise rather of amnestied criminals than of triumphant liberators. Brutus supped with Lepidus, and Cassius with Antony; but the grim pleasantries of the latter banquet betrayed what was in their thoughts. "Have you still a dagger under your arm?" asked the consul in a tone of raillery. "Yes!" replied Cassius, with some bitterness; "one for you if you affect the tyranny."

On the following day (March 18th) the conspirators resumed their places in the Senate, which confirmed the assignment of the provinces that Cæsar had already made to him. Cisalpine Gaul was allotted to Decimus Brutus, who would thus hold the command of an army in the north of Italy; Marcus Brutus obtained Macedonia, where the legions destined for the Parthian war were assembled; Asia and Syria gave Trebonius and Cassius the resources of the East. Marcus Brutus and Cassius, however, had still to fulfil the year of their prætorship at Rome; while the supreme magistracy remained in the hands of the consuls Antony and Dolabella, who had affected a reconciliation. Antony, as will immediately appear, flattered himself with the power of crushing the conspirators long before they could assume their respective governments. The public funeral of Cæsar furnished his opportunity.

Atticus, as he sat by Cicero in the Senate, had whispered that all was lost if the funeral were permitted, and Cassius had attempted an opposition, which was overruled by Brutus. Before the day appointed for the funeral, the testament of Cæsar was

and crying out that they had killed a tyrant and a king. Brutus mounted the rostra, and began an elaborate speech; but, instead of being hailed as the second founder of the Republic, his voice was drowned in tumultuous cries. The people had wavered in their allegiance to Cæsar; but a true instinct told them that they would be no gainers by his death. The rest of the Senators had dispersed in fright on the perpetration of the deed, and the conspirators found themselves completely isolated. They hastened to the Capitol, under the pretence of paying their vows to Jupiter, and occupied it with the bands of Decimus Brutus. The movement was not too soon, for Lepidus who, as master of the horse, commanded a legion outside the city, sent troops to occupy the Forum during the night. These hasty movements had left them no time to drag the body of Cæsar, as those of the Gracchi had been dragged, through the streets, and throw it into the Tiber-an indignity which some at least of the conspirators proposed. The corpse of the master of the world, who had boasted in the morning that the Ides of March had come and found him safe, lay alone at the base of his rival's statue, till three of his servants carried it on a broken litter to his house. Antony had escaped in the first confusion. His death had been proposed by some of the conspirators as needful for their safety, but Brutus had protested against sullying tyrannicide with wanton murder; and they now found their own safety in the double policy of Antony. They were joined in the Capitol by the small remnant whom the civil war had left of the old aristocratic party. Among the first to resort to them was Cicero, who never ceased to praise the deed which had been done, as an act of justice on a public enemy. He urged the vigorous policy of assuming the government of the state, and above all making no terms with Antony.

The surviving consul, shut up for security in his own house, continued during the night to gain information of the proceedings of the conspirators, to communicate with Lepidus, and above all to secure Cæsar's private papers, which were sent to him by Calpurnia, with a treasure of 4000 talents. The possession of Cæsar's will gave him an irresistible appeal to the people, and Lepidus was won over by the promise of the vacant pontificate. But on the following morning (March 16th) another of Cæsar's partisans, Dolabella, came forward to support the conspirators from personal enmity to Antony. His appearance in the Forum with the insignia of a consul-for Cæsar had promised him the succession to the office-encouraged the friends of the conspirators to invite them

to descend into the Forum, where Brutus again harangued the people. He boldly justified the deed, claimed to have acted in the spirit of his great ancestor, and called the people to rally once more round the Pompeian standard, which Sextus was still bearing up against the forces of the late Dictator. But the appeal met with no response, and the conspirators returned to the Capitol. They now saw that their only hope was to make terms with Antony, who, by his authority as consul, opened the public treasury, which contained the enormous sum of 700,000,000 sesterces, and assumed the government of the city. The conspirators invited him to summon the Senate to decide between the two parties; and he at once complied, feeling that the balance was thus thrown into his own hands. His proposal that the acts of Cæsar should be ratified, his murder passed over in silence, and his remains honoured with a public funeral, was warmly supported by Cicero, and adopted by the Senate. The conspirators came down from the Capitol in the guise rather of amnestied criminals than of triumphant liberators. Brutus supped with Lepidus, and Cassius with Antony; but the grim pleasantries of the latter banquet betrayed what was in their thoughts. "Have you still a dagger under your arm?" asked the consul in a tone of raillery. "Yes!" replied Cassius, with some bitterness; "one for you if you affect the tyranny."

On the following day (March 18th) the conspirators resumed their places in the Senate, which confirmed the assignment of the provinces that Cæsar had already made to him. Cisalpine Gaul was allotted to Decimus Brutus, who would thus hold the command of an army in the north of Italy; Marcus Brutus obtained Macedonia, where the legions destined for the Parthian war were assembled; Asia and Syria gave Trebonius and Cassius the resources of the East. Marcus Brutus and Cassius, however, had still to fulfil the year of their prætorship at Rome; while the supreme magistracy remained in the hands of the consuls Antony and Dolabella, who had affected a reconciliation. Antony, as will immediately appear, flattered himself with the power of crushing the conspirators long before they could assume their respective governments. The public funeral of Cæsar furnished his opportunity.

Atticus, as he sat by Cicero in the Senate, had whispered that all was lost if the funeral were permitted, and Cassius had attempted an opposition, which was overruled by Brutus. Before the day appointed for the funeral, the testament of Cæsar was